The Magical Mixture Mill Review (PC)

There’s a new melting pot brewing various types of concoctions beneath the woodwork, and it appears to be frothing at the rim with copious amounts of unnatural fungi and other toxic substances, all of which happen to outline the standard recipe of a hearty elixir in The Magical Mixture Mill, weirdly enough. Like many other potion-crafting novices, it took me a short while to figure out what sorts of mixtures would benefit the growth of the world around me, and which of them would transform my worst shortcomings into viable solutions for underlying health issues. From there, it was merely the case of securing new extraction methods for the sake of finessing the formula, as well as branching out to a higher pedigree of resources to infuse rarer delicacies into innovative and, with any luck, world-changing samples for the general populace.

To say that I’ve become all the wiser since beginning that journey as a fledgling connoisseur of potions and questionable broths wouldn’t be accurate; I’m still a fair ways off from earning such a title, and perhaps even a few extra field goals from graduating into a higher, more established class. But I’m learning, alright, and with each new step that I’m taking as a wannabe brewer, I’m gradually coming to terms with a strange reality that just so happens to orbit The Magical Mixture Mill: AI is the hidden ingredient, and it’s also the driving force behind even the most successful creations that leak from the cauldron.

So, what is The Magical Mixture Mill, and what is it about the art of potion crafting that compels us to learn more about the ins and outs of the trade? Well, if you are currently hovering over the thought of exploring it, then read on.

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The Magical Mixture Mill is a funny one, I’ll give it that. It’s funny, mainly due to the fact that it doesn’t praise you for getting your hands dirty — but for allowing others to do it for you. This is where AI takes shape; it basically takes the brunt of the brewing process into its own hands, and it asks only that you secure the natural rarities dotted around the world in order to create valuable recipes and other interesting mass quantities of elixir. This is, for the most part, your job in TMMM: locate resources around a relatively large map, and pour them onto a production line that can generate vast new brands of magic-imbued consumables. There’s a little more to it than that, for sure, but that is, for better or worse, the vanilla extract of the loop — and it works, funnily enough.

The Magical Mixture Mill doesn’t have any combat, nor does it offer much by way of unforgiving gameplay mechanics, either. Instead, it provides an almost cozy-like experience that allows its participants the chance to explore a generous selection of vibrant biomes, and experiment with a range of potential treatments and techniques, all of which operate beneath the wing of an automated system. The goal of the game, really, is to accrue enough resources to keep the shelves full, and the production line forever churning out fresh products for its clientele. Sounds all rather simple on paper, for sure — and it is, provided that you not only know where to look, but also understand the basic rules of marketing and management. Full disclosure: I’ve never worked in an Amazon fulfillment center — so I haven’t the slightest clue about either of those two things.

The World Is Your Oyster

Given that there is, quite literally, no combat scenarios to prevent you from going about your daily chores, it makes sense that there would at least be some other form of environmental challenge in its stead. As it turns out, though, there isn’t, as it’s more or less the case of relying on freewill to navigate the terrain at your own pace, and make ends meet in any manner you deem necessary. And that’s honestly the best part about TMMM: the fact that it doesn’t conjure any unnecessarily violent or ill-fortuned scenes. Case in point, a lot of the journey revolves around connecting, say, component A to component B, and then remembering which production line produces which product — and that’s about as far as it goes in terms of technical complexity. Suffice it to say that this is not—I repeat not, a difficult game to learn, much less master.

Of course, when you’re not out foraging for supplies out in the wild, you’re more often than not in the seat of a puppeteer, whose sole purpose is to make sure that each bot and mechanical gizmo is doing its job correctly and efficiently. Again, this isn’t a complex trial to wrap your head around, as the scale of the map is surprisingly small, meaning, even if you do have multiple sockets leading to an entire network of nodes — it’s nigh impossible to get your wires crossed and wind up feeling somewhat deflated and out of time. This isn’t the case here — like, at all, which once again reinforces the fact that this is far more your leisurely stroll than a ten-second sprint. I can vibe with that.

A Marvel to Behold

While it’s certainly no secret that independent games often struggle to comprehend what it takes to capture the essence of a living, breathing world with all of the aesthetically pleasurable qualities, The Magical Mixture Mill does, at least to an extent, find a way to make even the simplest and arguably most bland details come across as weirdly sprightly and coherent. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they’re borderline mesmerizing, but I’d also be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy starting at them — even for the fourth, fifth, or dozenth time over the course of the back-and-forth stints between the wilderness and the production line.

In addition to the art style being sufficiently refined, the game also benefits from its buttery controls and lack of technical jargon or persistent issues. Thankfully, at no point in the story did I have to manually exit via the menus and reboot it, or even make one or two major adjustments to the settings to ensure that its performance was consistent. It was all there, and pristinely packaged, might I add, which of course speaks volumes for the product as a whole, and not to mention its creators, who’ve clearly inserted a lot of heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into the fulfillment of the blueprint.

There is another thing that makes me want to sing the game’s praises, too, and that is its character design. Granted, it isn’t the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen in my something-something years of scraping the barrel for indie jewels and what have you, but it is a real pleasure to marvel over — more so when the chemistries collide and the wisps and haze of the potions miraculously jolt to life and leave the floor engulfed in a certain magical aura.

Verdict

If you had high hopes of becoming a sword-wielding conjurer of sorts, then you might want to consider letting The Magical Mixture Mill slip through the cracks of your fingers. For the record, this is, as much as we hate to recycle the word, “cozy” — and thus, a real sight for sore eyes for those in need of respite between lengthier, and slightly more archaic ARPGs. Sure, it’s a little repetitive and barebones in segments, but where it lacks in creative detail, it makes up for in whimsical storytelling and world-building. It’s also a pretty good single-player game, too, which is something that we don’t often see when the sandbox and simulation nodes collide. Could it benefit from the inclusion of a co-op mode? Perhaps. But then, I’m hardly on the verge of being heartbroken if such a thing doesn’t come to pass, as it doesn’t really need it.

To cut to the chase, if you do share an undying love for potions and the art of brewing, in general, then you’ll no doubt enjoy a lot of what The Magical Mixture Mill brings to the table here. With that said, if you’re far more into the idea of throttling dwarves and goblins for mushrooms and diamonds, then you might want to consider planting roots in another cauldron; Deep Rock Galactic ought to do the trick.